Order management systems provide a framework for providing functionality such as that needed to define a sales context, manage products and catalogs, generate pricing information, and analyze customer behavior. However, such order management functionality is typically integrated with the interface for accessing that functionality. Accordingly, the order management functionality is typically only accessible via static, pre-specified interfaces. For example, many order management systems provide a single interface that provides limited, if any, customizability, which may in turn limit a client's ability to control the look and feel of the user interface that client presents to customers.
Furthermore, the standard interfaces may not be available for use with certain sales channels, effectively rendering the underlying order management system functionality inaccessible to those sales channels. This can in turn require that the underlying order management system functionality be duplicated for each sales channel. In such a system, each instance of the underlying functionality must be updated whenever a change (e.g., to the products within a product line or to product pricing) is made. Since multiple different systems must be updated in order to propagate each change, there is an increased likelihood that there will be inconsistencies among the sales channels (e.g., due to the change not be entered at the same time or in the same manner in each system).
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments of the invention are provided as examples in the drawings and detailed description. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed. Instead, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.